Thalia Holmes

Thalia Holmes (born 2004) is an English chess player. She won the inaugural series of the BBC Two competition Chess Masters: The Endgame in 2025.

Biography

Holmes played chess from a young age and first represented England aged ten. Holmes attended Haberdashers’ Adams School in Newport and was a member of the Newport Chess Club. She studies history at university.

In 2022, Holmes was the winner of the under-18s Shropshire Megafinal of the UK Chess Challenge. She admires Latvian chess grandmaster Mikhail Tal.

In 2025, Holmes participated in the inaugural series of the BBC Two competition Chess Masters: The Endgame. She won the show, beating "The Strategist" Richie Kelly in the final game.

Holmes is a transgender woman and has said that she participated in the show to improve the representation of trans people in chess.